Tiki Barber #21 of the New York Giants looks on before a game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on December 30, 2006 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Retired New York Giants running back Tiki Barber has been named as one of the 105 candidates for the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame. And let’s be honest, Barber is a definite shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.

Let us count the ways.

1. He’s got a Super Bowl championship ring.

2. He’s got high character on and off the field.

3. He always trusted in the leadership of his quarterback.

4. He never, never quits when the going gets tough.

5. He’s got a successful television career that keeps him visible.

Tiki Barber even had enough in his football tank to make a bid at returning to the NFL for the 2011 season. The list goes on and one for one of the most incredible athletes to ever wear a New York Giants uniform and…wait…what’s that you say? I’ve got the wrong Giants player?

My apologies. I meant to say Tiki Barber Phil Simms deserves to in the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. The selection committee will narrow the list down from 105 to 25 semifinalists and the vote for the final 15 modern candidates will take place February 4, 2012.

Apologies for all the Tiki Barber news, but this was too good to ignore…

Tiki Barber’s girlfriend turned fiancee Traci Lynn Johnson recently did a photo shoot for the popular men’s publication, Maxim, and dropped some unintentional comical nuggets about her relationship with Barber during a Q&A with the magazine.

Where would you go on your ideal first date?
A Mexican restaurant. We’d have tacos, enchiladas, and enough salsa to kill someone. And we’d wash it down with tequila and go out dancing. I’m a terrible dancer, but with enough tequila in me, I’ll do anything.

Is that where you went with Tiki?
No, we went to McDonald’s. I was starving and about to flip into [expletive] mode, so we stopped there. It was a match made in Happy Meals.

Besides mastering the Kardashian oeuvre, how can a guy win you?
You have to be up on current affairs. And you definitely have to keep up on the tequila shots.

How many do you have in one sitting?
Six, if I have enough limes. Enough tequila can turn any bad date into a great night.

So Tiki can hold his liquor. What else don’t we know about him?
Other than the fact that he likes to walk around the house naked?

Really?
I do too, so that’s why we’re a good match.

You’re not a sports fan?
I love basketball. Tiki knows Carmelo Anthony is my favorite New York athlete. We sat with him at an event, and Tiki told him, “She will leave me for you in a heartbeat.” I was so embarrassed.

Barker, twin brother to Tampa Bay Buccaneers DB Ronde Barber, was hoping to re-emerge in the NFL after a five-year layoff . The 36-year-old running back retired from the New York Giants in 2006 and left the game with over 10,000 career rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards.

Apparently, NFL teams weren’t interested in Tiki Barber’s return as only one team, the Miami Dolphins, even gave him a look.

But former Giants teammate and Fox Sports NFL analyst Michael Strahan thinks the NFL ignored Tiki Barber because of his poor off-the-field reputation, which includes leaving his pregnant wife for a young, attractive blonde intern at NBC during his stint as a on-air contributor to the Today Show. Before that incident, Tiki Barber ripped his former quarterback Eli Manning by questioning his leadership skills during his role as an analyst for NBC.

“I was surprised by it. I really was because I feel like Tiki has a few more years in him. Even when he retired, he could still play. He always took care of himself. I felt like somebody would give him a plane ticket and say ‘come in’ and give him a shot. I don’t feel like football was the reason that no one brought him in because that’s the easy part for him. I think it was the reputation thing that scared some teams away,” Strahan told ESPN’s “Mike & Mike” morning show.

Interesting point by Strahan here. Say what you will about Tiki Barber, but the man was talented and he wouldn’t be the first or last 35-plus year-old to have success in the NFL. So what do you think?

Tiki Barber attends a press conference where he was named NBC "Today" show correspondent and studio analyst for "Football Night in America" at NBC studios (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

Jesus, take the wheel and while you’re at it please bless Tiki Barber with a really good publicist.

Tiki Barber’s legacy as a solid NFL running back is quickly being replaced with his affinity for making really ridiculous comments. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Tiki Barber told SI writer Jon Wertheim that he and his girlfriend Traci Johnson hid from the media scrutiny of their affair by moving into the attic of his agent, Mark Lepselter. And then, he proceeded to make, arguably, one of the dumbest comparisons ever.